ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An improvised explosive device (IED) struck a British diplomatic mission convoy in Baghdad on Tuesday, a diplomatic source has confirmed to Rudaw, with no casualties reported in the attack.
"We can confirm that one British Embassy Baghdad vehicle was struck by a roadside IED this morning in Baghdad. There were no injuries. The safety and security of our staff is of paramount importance and we are in close contact with the Iraqi authorities," the press office of Britain's Foreign Commonwealth Office told Rudaw English by email.
IED attacks have grown increasingly common in Iraq in recent weeks, but have primarily targeted military contractor convoys. A convoy transporting US-led Coalition military equipment was hit on Monday by two IEDs – one in Babil province, and one in Diwaniyah, the Cell said yesterday. No casualties or damage were reported in the attack.
Diplomatic targets are more often hit by missiles targeting Baghdad's Green Zone, home to foreign diplomatic offices and Iraqi government buildings. Two Katyusha rockets aimed at the Green Zone just after midnight on Tuesday were intercepted by a US air defense system, according to Iraqi Security Media Cell. Rocket attacks are most often conducted by Iran-backed Iraqi militias.
On August 26, an IED hit a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) convoy in northwestern Iraq's Nineveh Plains, injuring one WFP employee. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
"This attack is a serious security breach for diplomatic missions, especially when they happen in the heart of Baghdad and in daylight," Iraq Advisory Council (IAC) chairman Farhad Alaaldin told Rudaw on Tuesday.
"The attack undermines the government and the efforts made by the Prime Minister to reign in the rogue elements who are armed and posing serious threat to Iraq and its relations in the international community," Alaaldin added.
Updated at 6:31 pm
